More on Canadia

Here’s a ludicrous site on Canada’s hate crimes law. Check out the FAQ section, which contains this gem:

I’ve been hearing a lot on the news lately about hate crime. Is it against the law to dislike someone?

Of course not. Canadians want the right to express their likes and dislikes. However, hate involves more than bad feelings. Hate can lead to violence, and that is why the law sometimes steps in. As long as people attack others because of their skin colour, place of birth, or worship choices, no one will really be free.

This site is careful to point out that, by hate crimes, they do not simply mean mandated punishment guidelines for crimes motivated by hate; rather, they mean punishment for the hate itself. Amazingly, this site says that Canadian law distinguishes three types of hate crimes: advocating genocide, publicly inciting hatred and wilfully promoting hatred. These “crimes” also carry jail time (up to five years for “advocating genocide”).

Here’s another gem:

Some people were handing out hate leaflets in the parking lot of the neighbourhood shopping centre. What should I do the next time it happens?

Don’t confront them. You may want to take a pamphlet to show the police. Contact your local police force right away and tell them what happened.

And another:

Is it against the law to advocate genocide using e-mail?

Yes, it is.

What should I do when I see hateful messages on the Internet?

First, write down the web location (also known as the URL) of the web site containing the hateful message. The web location, or URL, is the address that usually begins “http://www.” Then, contact your local police force right away and tell them about what you saw.

And check out the “Magic 8-Ball” tone of this one:

Someone in Australia posted this hateful Web Page. How does the law regard that?

The law is not sure on how to handle hate that is spread in Canada through Internet sites located outside of Canada.

“My sources say shut up.”